Indicator for post-office boxes



(No Model.)

R. PAGE.

INDICATOR POE POST OFFICE BOXES.

N0. 283,918. Patented Aug. 28, 1883.

JLU'ALI LJfA-LILJ UJI LJLJ ALJUlL .ji'lgd ,73

,f \///l i I STATES nowLnY rnc-E, or ennnsnune, ILLiNois.

INDICATOR FOR POST-OFFICE BOXES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 283,918, dated August 28, 1883.

Application filed October 28,1882. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, RowLnx PAGE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Galesburg, in the county of Knox and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and usefullmprovements in Indicators for Post-OtticeBoxes 5 andl do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description ofthe invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention is primarily designed to Abe used with post-ofiice boxes in the railway mailservice; but its use is not restricted to the railway mail-service, as it can be used to great advantage in other post-oi'iiccs and tor still other uses.

It consists, mainly, in labels secured upon a rod in a series of two or more labels circumferentially 011 the rod and in a series lengthwise of the rod, which rod, located infront of the boards which divide post-office boxes into vertical series, can be rotated to bring either set of labels to the front, as desired.

The invention further consists in constructions and combinations hereinafter described.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrateaseries of ordinarily-arranged post-office boxesor letter-boxes and my invention, Figure 1 is a front elevation 5 Fig. 2, an enlarged sectional elevation through one of the boxes in the line :v x in Fig. l; Figs. 3, 4, 5, and 6, enlarged side elevations of a label-carrying rod and parts of adjacent boxes 5 Fig.. 7, an enlarged sectional elevation of a label-carrying rod. y

Referring to the drawings by letters, the same letter indicating the same part in the di'erent figures, A represents boxes or pigeonholes of the ordinary kind used in post-oiiices.

B are rods journaled in bearings Z1, so that they may be rotated on their longitudinal axes. The rods B may be of any desired form in their cross-section; but I prefer to have them round or cylindrical, as shown. These rods are shown as located immediately over ordinary post-office boxes A-or, in other words, immediately in front ol' the boards which formthe bottoms and tops of said boxes-so as to be out of the way in placing matter-in the box and in removing mattei' therefrom. As shown, each rod B extends across a horizontal series of boxes, A, of which there may be any desired number. l

At Figs. .3, 4, 5, and 6. I have shown difterent side elevations of the same rod to illustrate one method of arranging the labels thereon. At Fig. 3 a series of labels, No. l, are shown lengthwise ofthe rod in positions coinciding with the positions of the boxes A; and at Figs. 4, 5, and 6 other series on the same rod are shown, respectively, Nos. 2 to 4. The positions of the series of labels Nos. l to et circumferentially on the rod are shown at Fig. 7. I have thus shown four series of labels on a rod, B but any other number above one may be used, as preferred or required in different places and for different nses. By making the rods B snug in their bearings they will remain in whatever positions they are placed.

In the railway inail-service where labels or naines of places are fixed to the boxes in mailcars, as is generally done, a separate box is required'for each and every place orpost-oflice and each and every railroad for which mail is made up in said car during its trip; and this necessitates on most roads the use of a great many boxes, only a portion of which are used at one time or between given stations, while the balance are unused. Vith my improved labels a-much smaller number of boxes maybe used, as the labels may be changed by rotating the rods and the same boxes used for V different places. For instance, in starting on a trip the rods may be turned over a portion of the boxes to bring forward the names of places and railroads for which mail is iirst to be made up, and when any portion of these boxes from progress of the train are unused, the rods may be turned to bring forward the next occurring series `of places'for which mail is to be made up. Vhen the names on any number of the rodsY are all used, then other rods and boxes may lbe used. ment and order and disposition of the names on the rods will vary on different railroads, and each railroad may arrange them to suit the order of places for which mail is made up on The arrangep IOO the trip of the mail-'car oi' post-office on such road.

In distributing post-offices this invention, it is believed, will be of great use in economiz- 5 ing space, expensefor extra boxes, and in enabling the operator to have the boxes nearest Where required. For this use the same boxes may be used for making up mail for different places and railroads by changing the labels, as ro hereinbefore described.

I do not claim herein, broadly, label-carrying' bars located in front of the division-boards which form the tops and bottoms of the postofiioe boxes, as such are'shoWn in another ap- 15 plication I now have pending; but in such application it is necessary to remove the rods in order to turn them, whichis not the ease in the present application; hence herein What I claim as new, and desire to secure 2o by Letters Patent, is-

, l. In combination with a series of post-ofiice boxes, a rod having a series of labels or names attached thereto and adapted-to be rotated to bring either name in the series for- 25 Ward, substantially as described.

Beams 2. In' combination, a series of boxes, A, and rotating rod B, journaled in front of the division-boards which form the tops and bottoms of said boxes, and provided with a series Y of labels, either of which may be brought for- 3o Ward to view While the others are obscured by rotatingA the rod B, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. In combination with a horizontal series of boxes, A, arotating rod, B, extending across 3 5 said series of boxes in front of the divisionboards which form the tops and bottoms of said boxes, and provided with labels arranged in series lengthwise of the rod and series cireumferentially of it, substantially as 4o and for the purpose specified,

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

noWLEr PAGE.

\ Vitnesses:

f JOHN Lass,

WM. F. CLARK. f 

